Rachel Martin
Rachel Martin is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
Before taking on this role in December 2016, Martin was the host of Weekend Edition Sunday for four years. Martin also served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues. She traveled regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Secretary of Defense, reporting on the U.S. wars and the effectiveness of the Pentagon's counterinsurgency strategy. Martin also reported extensively on the changing demographic of the U.S. military – from the debate over whether to allow women to fight in combat units – to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Her reporting on how the military is changing also took her to a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico for a rare look at how the military trains drone pilots.
Martin was part of the team that launched NPR's experimental morning news show, The Bryant Park Project, based in New York — a two-hour daily multimedia program that she co-hosted with Alison Stewart and Mike Pesca.
In 2006-2007, Martin served as NPR's religion correspondent. Her piece on Islam in America was awarded "Best Radio Feature" by the Religion News Writers Association in 2007. As one of NPR's reporters assigned to cover the Virginia Tech massacre that same year, she was on the school's campus within hours of the shooting and on the ground in Blacksburg, Va., covering the investigation and emotional aftermath in the following days.
Based in Berlin, Germany, Martin worked as a NPR foreign correspondent from 2005-2006. During her time in Europe, she covered the London terrorist attacks, the federal elections in Germany, the 2006 World Cup and issues surrounding immigration and shifting cultural identities in Europe.
Her foreign reporting experience extends beyond Europe. Martin has also worked extensively in Afghanistan. She began reporting from there as a freelancer during the summer of 2003, covering the reconstruction effort in the wake of the U.S. invasion. In fall 2004, Martin returned for several months to cover Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election. She has reported widely on women's issues in Afghanistan, the fledgling political and governance system and the U.S.-NATO fight against the insurgency. She has also reported from Iraq, where she covered U.S. military operations and the strategic alliance between Sunni sheiks and the U.S. military in Anbar province.
Martin started her career at public radio station KQED in San Francisco, as a producer and reporter.
She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.
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U.S. death toll from the coronavirus rises to 11. As primaries continue, Biden and Sanders campaigns face specific challenges. And, migrants are pawns in political standoff between Turkey and E.U.
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Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg dropped his White House bid on Wednesday after a disappointing performance on Super Tuesday. He's backing former Vice President Joe Biden.
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Democratic primary rivals go after Michael Bloomberg during Nevada debate. Trump associate Roger Stone is sentenced Thursday. And, at least 11 people were killed in a mass shooting in Germany.
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Early nominating contests fail to resolve Democratic Party's divide. The Education Department probes Harvard and Yale funds. And, why scores of Iranian-Americans were detained at a border crossing.
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Davenport, Iowa, faced historic flooding last year that damaged much of the city's downtown riverfront. Business owners are concerned about future floods and how climate change plays a part.
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Monday's Iowa caucuses kick off the 2020 presidential primary season. The impeachment trial of President Trump is nearing its end. And, there are now 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S.
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The Senate impeachment trial enters its second week. Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant dies in a helicopter crash. And, public health officials are trying to figure out how the coronavirus is spreading.
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The White House has added a number of high-profile names to President Trump's defense team this morning. This comes ahead of the start of the impeachment trial on Tuesday.
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In a new decision, a federal watchdog says President Trump broke a budget law when he froze funds to Ukraine, a decision at the heart of the impeachment trial.
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The articles of impeachment against President Trump go to the Senate Wednesday. The latest Democratic debate was held in Iowa. And, the president is set to sign Phase 1 of the trade deal with China.